Israel and Ishmael: Studies in Muslim-Jewish Relations

The study of the relationship between Jews and Muslims has its roots in German nineteenth century oriental scholarships. Some of the chief contributors to the discourse were Jews who wished to highlight the tolerance of the Muslim states towards Jews as a way of reproaching contemporary German society for inequalities which Jews suffered. With the growth of Zionism and an associated historiography, Zionist historians tended to accentuate the sufferings of Jews in Islamic countries. In recent times the focus of scholarship has been on shared features rather than on denunciation, and this volume, written by leading scholars from the Arab world, Israel, Europe, and the United States, follows in this tradition. The main focus of this work is the modern period. The situation of the Jews and their relationship with their Arab neighbors in Lebanon, the Yemen, Tunisia, Morocco and Israel/Palestine are covered in this volume.